Sophos is a worldwide leader and innovator of advanced cybersecurity solutions, including Managed Detection and Response (MDR) and incident response services and a broad portfolio of endpoint, network, email, and cloud security technologies that help organizations defeat cyberattacks. As one of the largest pure-play cybersecurity providers, Sophos defends more than 500,000 organizations and more than 100 million users globally from active adversaries, ransomware, phishing, malware, and more. Sophos’ services and products connect through its cloud-based Sophos Central management console and are powered by Sophos X-Ops, the company’s cross-domain threat intelligence unit. Sophos X-Ops intelligence optimizes the entire Sophos Adaptive Cybersecurity Ecosystem, which includes a centralized data lake that leverages a rich set of open APIs available to customers, partners, developers, and other cybersecurity and information technology vendors. Sophos provides cybersecurity-as-a-service to organizations needing fully-managed, turnkey security solutions. Customers can also manage their cybersecurity directly with Sophos’ security operations platform or use a hybrid approach by supplementing their in-house teams with Sophos’ services, including threat hunting and remediation. Sophos sells through reseller partners and managed service providers (MSPs) worldwide. Sophos is headquartered in Oxford, U.K. More information is available at www.sophos.com

About Us

Sophos is a global leader and innovator of advanced security solutions for defeating cyberattacks. The company acquired Secureworks in February 2025, bringing together two pioneers that have redefined the cybersecurity industry with their innovative, native AI-optimized services, technologies and products. Sophos is now the largest pure-play Managed Detection and Response (MDR) provider, supporting more than 28,000 organizations. In addition to MDR and other services, Sophos’ complete portfolio includes industry-leading endpoint, network, email, and cloud security that interoperate and adapt to defend through the Sophos Central platform. Secureworks provides the innovative, market-leading Taegis XDR/MDR, identity threat detection and response (ITDR), next-gen SIEM capabilities, managed risk, and a comprehensive set of advisory services. Sophos sells all these solutions through reseller partners, Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) worldwide, defending more than 600,000 organizations worldwide from phishing, ransomware, data theft, other every day and state-sponsored cybercrimes. The solutions are powered by historical and real-time threat intelligence from Sophos X-Ops and the newly added Counter Threat Unit (CTU). Sophos is headquartered in Oxford, U.K. More information is available at www.sophos.com.

Role Summary

As the Head of Japan & North Asia Marketing, you will lead the comprehensive marketing strategy for Japan with a strong focus on enterprise, SMB, and mid-market development. This senior leadership role is crucial in driving demand generation, brand growth, and customer acquisition across diverse customer segments, from large enterprises to small and medium-sized businesses. You will oversee a dynamic marketing team and work closely with sales, regional marketing, and channel teams to ensure cohesive execution and consistent pipeline growth.

Your responsibilities will span from enterprise marketing to SMB and mid-market expansion, with an emphasis on channel marketing, lead development, and new logo opportunity production. This role demands a strategic, high-productivity approach and the ability to optimize cross-functional partnerships, especially with the Sales Development team, ensuring a seamless closed-loop process that drives measurable business outcomes.

Additionally, you will be responsible for the planning and overseeing on-the-ground execution of channel-led marketing programs in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Korea. This is primarily a remote leadership role and will require excellent cross-functional collaboration, and strong marketing leadership through organized planning and follow-up.

Please note this role is based in Japan - we are unable to sponsor and work visa at this time in Japan

What You Will Do

Enterprise, SMB & Mid-Market Marketing Leadership

Enterprise Marketing (Japan Focus): Lead the strategy and execution of integrated marketing campaigns targeting high-value enterprise clients across key industries such as finance, government, and manufacturing.

SMB & Mid-Market Growth: Develop tailored marketing strategies to drive growth in the SMB and mid-market segments across Japan and North Asia. Focus on brand awareness, customer acquisition, and pipeline expansion in these key growth areas.

Trans-create and implement demand generation initiatives aimed at driving both new logo acquisition and expansion within existing enterprise, SMB, and mid-market accounts.

Adapt global marketing programs to cater to local market nuances in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, ensuring each segment receives appropriately targeted campaigns that align with regional and global objectives.

Foster brand loyalty and preference across all market segments by creating a consistent brand experience for enterprise and SMB customers, reinforcing Sophos' leadership in the cybersecurity space.

Sales Development Team Collaboration & Closed-Loop Lead Management

Work closely with the Sales Development team to ensure a cohesive approach to lead development and sales opportunity production.

Provide high-quality, strategic input into lead generation activities and ensure seamless hand-off of leads from marketing to sales, maintaining a closed-loop system that maximizes conversion rates.

Develop a coordinated lead nurturing strategy to guide prospects from awareness to conversion, ensuring that both marketing and sales are aligned in driving pipeline and sales growth.

Provide continuous support and ongoing training to the Sales Development and sales teams, ensuring they are equipped with the latest insights, content, and tools to convert leads into revenue-generating opportunities.

Work hand-in-hand with sales teams to define key performance metrics and ensure both marketing and sales efforts are focused on the highest-value opportunities, contributing to overall business success.

Channel Marketing Strategy & Execution (North Asia)

Lead the design and execution of ‘to-channel’ and ‘through-channel’ marketing programs that support partner recruitment, enablement, and demand generation across the region.

Drive co-branded marketing programs, MDF initiatives, and strategic partner enablement activities that ensure partners are equipped to execute campaigns that support both enterprise and SMB/mid-market segments.

Optimize partner performance by working closely with regional channel sales leads, ensuring that channel marketing initiatives are closely aligned with overall sales and marketing objectives in both the enterprise and SMB/mid-market segments.

Cross-Regional Leadership & High-Impact Campaign Management

Lead integrated, high-velocity campaigns across digital marketing, events, ABM, and content marketing to drive both enterprise and SMB/mid-market customer acquisition.

Champion the execution of high-profile industry events and webinars tailored to both enterprise and SMB/mid-market customers, ensuring alignment with the broader marketing strategy and business objectives.

Develop targeted campaigns for both enterprise decision-makers and SMB/mid-market buyers, leveraging account-based marketing (ABM), email, PPC, social media, and SEO to optimize outreach efforts.

Ongoing Training & Campaign Briefing Optimization

Ensure that campaign briefings are optimized and well-structured, with clear goals, objectives, and KPIs, to ensure high productivity and alignment across all teams.

Drive a continuous learning culture within the marketing and sales teams by facilitating ongoing training on best practices, campaign optimizations, and market insights.

Establish and lead training sessions that equip sales teams with the necessary tools, resources, and strategies to effectively convert leads generated from marketing programs into sales opportunities.

Performance Tracking & Optimization

Use analytics tools like Tableau, Salesforce, and Power BI to track performance and optimize the effectiveness of campaigns, focusing on both enterprise and SMB/mid-market segments.

Regularly review and optimize lead generation processes to improve conversion rates and ensure alignment between marketing activities and sales goals.

Adjust campaign strategies based on performance data to maximize ROI, ensuring that marketing efforts are continually driving growth in both enterprise and SMB/mid-market markets.

What You Will Bring

10+ years of experience in B2B marketing, with a proven ability to lead enterprise, SMB, and mid-market marketing strategies, particularly in the IT or cybersecurity industry.

Significant experience in developing enterprise marketing strategies and driving growth in SMB/mid-market segments, with expertise in demand generation, pipeline acceleration, and customer acquisition.

Proven track record of working closely with Sales Development teams to ensure closed-loop lead management, alignment on lead scoring, and maximizing sales opportunities.

Experience working in global, matrixed environments and managing cross-functional teams to drive aligned outcomes across different market segments.

Strategic mindset, with the ability to balance long-term vision with short-term execution and ensure high productivity in both enterprise and SMB/mid-market marketing initiatives.

Expertise in developing demand generation programs, ABM (Account-Based Marketing), and multi-channel marketing campaigns that engage both enterprise and SMB/mid-market buyers.

Strong project management skills with a focus on productivity and delivering high-impact, measurable results in a fast-paced environment.

Exceptional leadership and influencing skills, with a track record of successfully managing and motivating teams to achieve ambitious business goals.

Fluent in Japanese (both written and spoken) with strong English proficiency for global team communication and collaboration.

In-depth knowledge of CRM systems, Salesforce, marketing automation, and analytics tools such as Tableau, Power BI, and SFDC to track performance and optimize campaigns.

*Special Conditions

Travel: Up to 20% within Japan, occasional travel within the APJ region (2- 4 trips per year).

Flexible Hours: Some non-standard working hours are required for events and trade shows

#LI-Remote

#B2

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Ready to Join Us?

At Sophos, we believe in the power of diverse perspectives to fuel innovation. Research shows that candidates sometimes hesitate to apply if they don't check every box in a job description. We challenge that notion. Your unique experiences and skills might be exactly what we need to enhance our team. Don't let a checklist hold you back – we encourage you to apply.

What's Great About Sophos?

· Sophos operates a remote-first working model, making remote work the primary option for most employees. However, some roles may necessitate a hybrid approach. Please refer to the location details in our job postings for further information.

· Our people – we innovate and create, all of which are accompanied by a great sense of fun and team spirit

· Employee-led diversity and inclusion networks that build community and provide education and advocacy

· Annual charity and fundraising initiatives and volunteer days for employees to support local communities

· Global employee sustainability initiatives to reduce our environmental footprint

· Global fitness and trivia competitions to keep our bodies and minds sharp

· Global wellbeing days for employees to relax and recharge

· Monthly wellbeing webinars and training to support employee health and wellbeing

Our Commitment To You

We’re proud of the diverse and inclusive environment we have at Sophos, and we’re committed to ensuring equality of opportunity. We believe that diversity, combined with excellence, builds a better Sophos, so we encourage applicants who can contribute to the diversity of our team. All applicants will be treated in a fair and equal manner and in accordance with the law regardless of gender, sex, gender reassignment, marital status, race, religion or belief, color, age, military veteran status, disability, pregnancy, maternity or sexual orientation. We want to give you every opportunity to show us your best self, so if there are any adjustments we could make to the recruitment and selection process to support you, please let us know.

Data Protection

If you choose to explore an opportunity, and subsequently share your CV or other personal details with Sophos, these details will be held by Sophos for 12 months in accordance with our Privacy Policy and used by our recruitment team to contact you regarding this or other relevant opportunities at Sophos. If you would like Sophos to delete or update your details at any time, please follow the steps set out in the Privacy Policy describing your individual rights. For more information on Sophos’ data protection practices, please consult our Privacy Policy Cybersecurity as a Service Delivered | Sophos

Director of Marketing - Japan

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